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U.S. NEWS Saturday 17 auguSt 2019
Medical examiner rules Epstein

death a suicide by hanging

Associated Press death went public, U.S. At- influential, including presi-
NEW YORK (AP) — New torney Geoffrey Berman dents and a prince.
York City's medical exam- said the federal investiga- He owned a private island
iner ruled Jeffrey Epstein's tion into the allegations in the Caribbean, homes in
death a suicide Friday, against Epstein remains Paris and New York City, a
confirming after nearly a steadfast. New Mexico ranch, and a
week of speculation that Barr also warned that "any fleet of high-price cars. His
the financier hanged him- co-conspirators should not friends had once included
self in his jail cell. rest easy." Britain's Prince Andrew,
Epstein, 66, was found "Let me assure you that Clinton and Trump. Clinton
dead in his cell at the Met- this case will continue on and Trump both said they
ropolitan Correctional Cen- against anyone who was hadn't seen Epstein in years This March 28, 2017, file photo, provided by the New York State
Sex Offender Registry shows Jeffrey Epstein. New York City’s
ter in New York City on Aug. complicit," Barr said. "The when new charges were medical examiner has ruled Epstein’s death a suicide.
10, touching off outrage victims deserve justice, and brought against him last Associated Press
and disbelief over how they will get it." month.
such a high-profile prisoner, Jail guards on duty the The medical examiner's rul- working as hostesses at a identified female recruiter
known for socializing with night of Epstein's death are ing came a day after two popular Manhattan res- offered the hostesses hun-
powerful people including suspected of falsifying log more women sued Jeffrey taurant in 2004 when they dreds of dollars to provide
presidents Donald Trump entries to show they were Epstein's estate, saying he were recruited to give Ep- massages to Epstein, say-
and Bill Clinton, could have checking on inmates every sexually abused them. stein massages. ing he "liked young, pretty
gone unwatched. half hour as required, ac- The suit, filed Thursday in a One was 18 at the time. The girls to massage him," and
Chief Medical Examiner Dr. cording to several people federal court in New York, other was 20. wouldn't engage in any un-
Barbara Sampson said in a familiar with the matter. claims the women were The lawsuit says an un- wanted touching. q
statement that she made Both were working over-
the suicide determination time because of staffing
"after careful review of all shortages at the jail, the
investigative information, people said. They spoke on
including complete autop- condition of anonymity be-
sy findings." cause they lacked autho-
The Bureau of Prisons said rization to publicly discuss
at the time Epstein had ap- the investigation.
parently killed himself, but The Associated Press often
that didn't squelch con- does not report details of
spiracy theories about his suicide methods but has
death. made an exception be-
One of Epstein's lawyers, cause Epstein's cause of
Marc Fernich, declined to death is pertinent to the
comment. An office tele- ongoing investigations.
phone number for Dr. Mi- The Washington Post and
chael Baden, the patholo- The New York Times report-
gist hired by Epstein's rep- ed Thursday that the au-
resentatives to observe the topsy revealed that a bone
autopsy, rang unanswered. in Epstein's neck had been
Epstein, who was charged broken, leading to specu-
with sexually abusing nu- lation his death was a ho-
merous underage girls over micide, though experts said
several years, had been the bone in question often
placed on suicide watch breaks in suicidal hangings.
last month after he was Sampson issued a state-
found on his cell floor July ment Thursday in response
23 with bruises on his neck. to those articles, saying: "In
But multiple people familiar all forensic investigations,
with operations at the jail all information must be
say he was taken off the synthesized to determine
watch after about a week the cause and manner of
and put back in a high- death. Everything must be
security housing unit where consistent; no single find-
he was less closely moni- ing can be evaluated in a
tored, but still supposed to vacuum."
be checked on every 30 Autopsy reports are not
minutes. public records in New York
Attorney General William and the details of the medi-
Barr says officials have un- cal examiner's finding, or
covered "serious irregulari- what evidence she relied
ties" at the jail. The FBI and upon, were not immediate-
the Justice Department's ly made available.
inspector general are both Epstein, 66, was a wealth
investigating. manager who hobnobbed
After news of Epstein's with the rich, famous and